UFC bantamweight Francisco Rivera (8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) isn’t one to try and hide his approach to fghting. In fact, with six weeks left until he meets Edwin Figueroa (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), “Cisco” is happy to outline his exact plan.

“I’m going to go in there and so the same thing I do – how I fought my last four fights the same way,” Rivera told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “My standup is where I’m going to keep it. I’m not going to try and go to the ground. I’m trying to finish it and put on a show for the fans.

“People love the way I fight. People love my standup. From in the cage to in training, that’s where I’m going to keep it. He can try to take me down as much as he wants, but it’s going to be a standing war with him.”

Rivera and Figueroa meet at UFC 156, which takes place Feb. 2 at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center, and at first glance, Rivera wouldn’t seem to be bluffing. After all, he’s currently on an official three-fight win streak with two of those wins coming by way of knockout. He actually earned a knockout win at this past July’s UFC 149 event, as well, but a positive post-fight drug screen for a banned over-the-counter stimulant resulted in the bout being ruled a no contest.

Rivera contends the situation was a big misunderstanding. He admits he was in the wrong but simply took a banned pre-workout supplement – 1.M.R. – after the event’s official weigh-ins without realizing it would be a problem.

Rivera said he’s now much more conscious about what’s going into his body and still considers the impressive performance a victory.

“I still consider it a win,” Rivera said. “Everybody who watched it knows I won the fight. I would fight him 10 more times, and it would be the same thing. I don’t think that guy even knew what hit him once I hit him. He didn’t hit me like one time. I’m taking it as a win.”

In Figueroa, Rivera faces another fighter willing to engage on the feet, as witnessed by his six career knockout victories. However, injuries have left the 28-year-old Texan sidelined for a full year, and Figueroa believes that could potentially play out to his advantage.

“He’s probably not going to engage right away, I’m thinking,” Rivera said. “When I took time off, I did the same thing. When I fought Erik Koch in the WEC, I hadn’t fought in over a year, and it was tough for me. I know he’s going to have something, but you never know.”

Figueroa’s condition ultimately remains to be seen, but Rivera insists he’s entering the cage with his aggression on full bore. It’s his third time fighting in Las Vegas, but the previous two appearances both took place at much smaller venues. This is his time to shine in the sport’s brightest spotlight.

“It’s always been a dream to fight at the Mandalay Bay or the MGM,’ Rivera said. “Everybody from (Mike) Tyson to everybody has fought in Vegas. I finally get to fight there, so it’s definitely a dream come true.”

Rivera knows a win won’t catapult him to the top of the division, but he admits he’s already got his eyes focused right there. Perhaps, Rivera hopes, an impressive win could at least put him on the right path, and fulfilling one dream could lead directly to another.

“I would love to fight Michael McDonald or Renan Barao or whoever has a belt,” Rivera said. “That would be a dream of mine.”

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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